One of the things I love about having a food blog(particularly an alphabet-themed one) is it inspires me to try things I
normally wouldn’t think to make. Take “K week” for example. As I was googling “foods
that start with the letter K” (no seriously, I actually do that), the vegetable
kohlrabi popped up. I’ve heard of kohlrabi, but I don’t think I’ve actually
ever tried it.
would turn out great. But I decided to shave it paper thin and serve it in a
salad along with some other fruits and vegetables. Now I wish I could tell you
that I dreamed up what turned out to be a vibrant combination of beets, radishes
and nectarines all on my own….but it was more the product of accidentally
receiving *two* CSA boxes this week. So I literally opened up my fridge and made
this salad based on what I had on hand. But I have to say, I was extremely
proud and would totally make this combo again on purpose.
my neighborhood Mollie Stones only had the baby ones, so baby kohlrabi it was!
I actually liked this better because they were more bite-sized, which worked
well in the salad. They come in purple and light green, but the insides of both
look exactly the same so I don’t think it really matters.
on my mandoline. The taste is pretty mild. It’s been described as tasting like
the stem of broccoli. I found it to be sweeter and nuttier tasting than that.
Whatever it was, I liked it.
as well. I really liked the sweet and tart aspect they added to the finished
product.
ingredient…please stop and acknowledge how gorgeous these things are. This is a
Chioggia beet. I think it is so pretty. It’s like a fuchsia tie-dyed version of the original. I also think it might be my favorite
tasting beet. It’s sweeter and milder than regular beets, so beet-haters might
be persuaded to give these a chance. I had never eaten a raw beet before
(another first!) and I liked it a lot. Just like the kohlrabi, you’ll need to
peel and thinly slice on a mandoline. If you are totally against beets, then try subbing a fennel bulb.
And finally, I had a couple radishes hanging out in the bottom of my vegetable drawer, so those go in as well. I thought they really went well with the color scheme of my gorgeous salad, don’t you?
The dressing I concocted was super easy. Just combine shallots, ginger, olive oil, lemon, mustard, honey and some salt and pepper. I find that dressing recipes are super subjective depending on who is making it. I suggest taste testing and adjusting with more ingredients to your liking (if necessary).
Top with some toasted almonds (I think sliced ones with the skins still on would’ve been prettier, but I had slivered almonds on hand so that’s what I used). I also added some shaved cheese, which was a mixture of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk and it was a perfect addition to all of the flavors and textures. Garnish with fresh mint and serve. I ate the entire thing in one sitting, but if you were making as appetizer-sized, it would probably make 3-4 salads.
document.write(”);
- 1 bunch baby kohlrabi
- 2 nectarines
- 1 chioggia beet
- 2 radishes
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup toasted (slivered or sliced) almonds
- 1 ounce semifirm cheese (I like one that combines cow, sheep and goat’s milk)
- mint (for garnish)
- Peel kohlrabi & beet and thinly slice with a mandoline. Thinly slice radish and nectarine.
- Using the whisking attachment of immersion blender, combine shallots, ginger, olive oil, lemon, mustard, honey and salt & pepper. Taste test and add more ingredients to your liking if necessary.
- Toss vegetables with dressing and top with almonds and cheese. Garnish with sprig of fresh mint.
MyFudo™
June 16, 2012 at 4:19 amWhat an exotic dish! I love to explore the alphabet with your recipes =)
jaymeesire
June 19, 2012 at 9:00 pmThanks for stopping by!
Anonymous
July 26, 2012 at 3:53 pmKholrabi is a root veggie I grew up eating. My family are from Hungary. It is great raw or cooked, roasted, grilled… the combination with beets & radishes & the nectarines ( also great with citrus) was delicious. I tried a variation of dressings to enhance the taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have several terrific hungarian recipes using Kohlrabi.
Plussie Galore
July 6, 2014 at 9:45 pmoh mah gah! I just found this today after seeing it linked on a Huffpost article about kohlrabi. I made with a few subs (cashews and some different dressing because it's what I had on hand) and I LOVE it. noms!